


Christmas is for Family (So please come home)

by Daughter_of_the_TARDIS



Series: Faces from the Past [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Minor Thirteenth Doctor/River Song, New York City, Post-Episode: s07e05 The Angels Take Manhattan, Space Wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS/pseuds/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS
Summary: A banging echoed through the ship - like someone was trying to force open the TARDIS doors.  When that didn't work, everything went quiet… and then there was the sound of a key turning in the lock.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, The Doctor/River Song, Thirteenth Doctor/River Song
Series: Faces from the Past [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615021
Comments: 35
Kudos: 642





	1. Chapter 1

Ryan, Yaz, and Graham stood outside in the snow, huddled together for warmth. While Yaz and Ryan blew their breath into the air to mimic the dragons that they had seen on Ddraig Llyn in the fifty-first century, Graham stood a bit behind them, just watching. They had all been promised a special trip for Christmas, and they were all eager to see what the Doctor had in store.

Any complaints about the cold were almost immediately forgotten when they heard what was quickly becoming the best sound in the universe - a wheezing, groaning noise that always meant that adventure wasn't far behind.

As soon as the blue box landed, he Doctor popped out of her ship. There was a large grin on her face and a ridiculous pair of antlers on her head. "Happy Christmas!" She cheered, going around and hugging them all in turn. "We didn't have it on my planet, but I've spent enough time on this one that it's grown on me." She said, pulling them inside the timeship. Even from outside, they could tell there was something different about the ship. The normal cheery golden glow was different, broken up by flecks of different colored lights. When they went inside they saw why.

The inside of the TARDIS looked as though a fairy light factory had exploded inside of it. The humans looked around them in awe mixed with a healthy dose of fear. A Christmas tree was set up in a corner, completely covered in ornaments. Tinsel hung from the center console and was draped over the walls, and holiday music played from hidden speakers.

"What do you think?" The Doctor asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited to hear her friends reactions.

"Should've guessed you'd be one of those people." Graham mused, shaking his head.

"How many times, Graham?" The Doctor spun to look at the older man, her coat flaring out around her as she moved. "I'm not people. Do I even look like people?" She asked, then scrunched up her face in confusion. "An' what d'you mean, one of those people."

Graham rolled his eyes despite the grin on his face. "You know, the type to go all out for the hols." He explained. 

She looked excited at the idea that there were other people who did the same. "Thanks, Graham!" She said, looking around the console room at her handiwork. "D'you like it?"

But Graham shook his head. "Didn't say that."

She looked hurt for a second, but quickly brushed it off. "Come on then you lot, where are we off to today?" 

"The moon?" Ryan offered, saying the first thing that came to mind.

But the Doctor shook her head, her hair whipping about her face as she scrunched up her nose. "No! Come on Ryan, you can do better than that." She encouraged him. "It's Christmas!"

"Okay, then you pick." Yaz challenged. She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yeah, come on." Ryan teased. "Something proper Christmassy."

The Doctor beamed, the same way she responded to any challenge issued by her friends. It didn't matter if they challenged her to hold her breath for as long as she could, rap all of Hamilton by herself, or compete in the ninety-fourth quarter annual Anti-Grav Olympics of Hubworld. She would always do them.

"Right then." She said, starting her dance around the console. "Let's get a shift on."

8888

The TARDIS wheezed as they took off with a rattling sound, the floor shaking under them. It was just enough to make the humans wary and have them grabbing onto things for stability, without them falling over. "Let's see where she takes us!" The Doctor shouted, making her way around the console in her madcap dance. The Time Rotor moved and the ship sang as She plotted their course, taking them to where her Thief needed to be.

They thudded to a landing, and the ship went dark for a few seconds as they all were thrown to the ground with the force of their landing. After a second, all the lights came back on - it wasn't enough to worry the humans, but the Doctor was concerned.

"Is everyone alright?" The Doctor called, scrambling to her feet. She looked around at them, quickly checking them over before turning her attention back to her ship. 

Ryan was the first to answer. "I'm fine."

"I'm alright."

"Just a little shaken up." Graham finished out the roll call, climbing to his feet with help from Ryan.

"What exactly just happened?" Yaz asked, turning to the Doctor for answers. But the Timelord was still staring at the instruments on the console in confusion.

"I'm not entirely sure." The Doctor said, making her way around the console. "But whatever it was, you weren't a fan, were you dear?" She asked the TARDIS, stroking the console. "What happened?"

The ship answered in the strange way that she always did - a combination of hums and flickering lights that only the Doctor could understand.

But before the Doctor even had a chance to translate, a banging echoed through the ship - like someone was trying to force open the TARDIS doors. When that didn't work, everything went quiet… and then there was the sound of a key turning in the lock.


	2. Chapter 2

A woman stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the cold winter sun. Behind her they could see snow and trees, and when she stepped inside, it wasn't hard to tell that they weren't in Sheffield, 2019.

She stepped inside, her red hair starting to get the slightest hints of grey. White kid gloves hid her trembling hands, and a dark coat hid her dress from view. Sensible shoes - good for running, after all these years. Her hair was perfectly pinned into place, and a deep blue scarf was wrapped around her neck to help keep away the cold. Her makeup was far less dramatic than the Doctor had ever seen before, but Amelia Pond still looked just like she remembered. 

"Doctor?" The woman asked, her eyes narrowing in on the petite blonde woman in front of her. She was so different than the Raggedy Man that she remembered, but still recognizable.

"Amy?" The Doctor responded, tears forming in her eyes. She had known for millennia that she would never see her Ponds again. Now the reality was that one of them - her little Amelia - was standing in front of her, and it was almost too much.

"You're here. You're really, really here." She breathed out. Then her voice turned sharp. "It's about time you showed up, stupid." She scolded, moving forward. Graham and Ryan instinctively moved backward - out of the path of the angry Scotswoman. But Yaz took a step forward, trying to keep herself between her friend and the newcomer. She didn't know who the woman was, but she was going to protect the Doctor if it came down to it.

"How do you know who I am?" The Doctor asked, confusion in her eyes as she stared at the woman. "I never told you about regeneration."

The redhead rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her chest. "Doctor, my daughter regenerated twice - once into my best friend and once into your wife." She pointed out, ignoring the startled looks that her statement earned. "Besides, no one else is ridiculous enough to wear that outfit."

"What's wrong with my coat?" The Doctor asked, sounding hurt.

"Have you seen it, in the light." She asked, crossing to stand in front of her. "Like really looked at it. Suppose I can't complain too much - at least you finally got rid of the bow tie."

The other humans watched what was happening in front of them like a strange sort of tennis match going on. While it was obvious that the two women knew each other, they couldn't quite tell if that was a good thing or a bad one.

"Well? I'm not going to hug first." Amy said, repeating her words from decades in her past and at least half a century in her future.

"Nor am I." The Doctor repeated. They stayed there, staring each other down for a minute before they caved. Both women surged forward at the same time, wrapping their arms around each other and refusing to let go.

"Doctor, who's your friend?" Yaz asked, and the Doctor jumped slightly. It was like she had forgotten that they were even there the moment that the redhead walked into the TARDIS.

"Who's that?" Amy asked, pulling away slightly. The Doctor grinned, practically jumping at the thought of her fam meeting her family. Because it didn't matter how long it had been since they had seen each other - the Ponds would always be her family.

"Yaz, Ryan, and Graham, meet Amy Pond." The Doctor said, introducing them all.

"It's Amelia Williams, actually." The redhead corrected, smiling at them all. She was very pretty, in a timeless sort of way - she could have been in any era and fit in perfectly.

"I'll never get used to that." The blonde pouted. "Amelia Pond was a great name, like a name in a fairytale."

"Hang on, is that the new us?" The redhead asked, inspecting them all. She was slowly making her way around the console room, checking everything out. "That's weird."

"Speaking of us, where's the Roman?" The Doctor asked.

"Hang on… you know the Doctor?" Yaz asked. "Did you used to travel with her?"

"Yeah. Traveled with 'im for a long time." The woman said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled at the Doctor.

"This," she said, pointing to all of the Doctor, "is new, though."

"Don't you like it?"

I never said I didn't, moron." Amy said, rolling her eyes. The fondness in her voice belied any sting from her words, making the others relax.

"Come on, Rory will be home from work soon - he got stuck with the Christmas shift at the hospital." She explained, already heading towards the doors, dragging the Doctor behind her. "And I've got to get Anthony up from his nap. They'll both want to see you." The woman said, pulling them outside into the cold winter air.

"Who's Anthony?" The Doctor asked, looking curious and a tiny bit scared.

But Amelia just smiled. "Come on, Doctor." She teased, laughter in her eyes. "Spoilers."

While that word would have once made her oldest friend start pouting, now it just made her smile.


	3. Chapter 3

They headed outside into a winter wonderland. Outside the confines of the park, there were high-rises and bustling crowds, the snow melted into gray slush. But inside the space that was Central Park, snow-covered everything in an almost pristine blanket. 

"Where did we land, then?" The Doctor asked, taking in the scenery. "Obviously New York, if you're here."

"Central Park, 1952." Amelia replied, slipping her arm through her friend's. "Christmas Eve."

"Christmas Eve? Really?" The Doctor sounded so pleased with herself. "See, fam? Told you I could do it."

"Come on." Amy said, leading them all through the park. Or rather, she was almost dragging the Doctor, and the rest of them were following behind. "We should get a move on - Rory will be so pleased to see you."

"Who are you exactly?" Yaz asked, taking a chance. Here was someone with a link to the Doctor's past, who knew all about this woman and the life that she led. Yaz was curious by nature - it was what made her so good at her job, and helped her in her travels with the Doctor.

"You're wearing trousers!" Amy said, completely ignoring the question in her excitement. "Oh, I miss trousers."

"So how long did you travel together?" Yaz asked, trying to pull the woman's attention off of her clothing. 

"For us, it was about ten years, on and off." Amelia said, leading them out of the park and onto the busy New York streets. Even in the nineteen fifties, Amy Pond still navigated the streets like they were making their way through an alien planet, keeping an eye out for trouble. She had one hand on the Doctor - making sure that the other woman didn't wander off.

Graham was almost envious of her Doctor wrangling skills.

"Us?" He asked, prompting a fond smile from the woman that betrayed who she was thinking about before she even had to say a word.

"My husband, Rory. He traveled with us as well. So did our daughter, River." She said, ignoring the surprised looks at her mention of a daughter with practiced ease. "Didn't she, Doctor?" Amy teased.

"Right!" The Doctor squeaked, trying to hide her blush. "Come along, Pond!"

Amy laughed, long and loud - her head thrown back and hair shining like flames in the barely-there sunlight. For a moment, the newest version of Team TARDIS saw her as she used to be - twenty years younger and ready to run side-by-side with her best friend. Finding trouble throughout the universe. "God, I've missed you!" The woman cheered, ignoring all the New Yorkers who openly gawked at the two women in the streets. The pair were polar opposites - one model-tall and redhaired, dressed perfectly for the era; the other a short blonde in a long coat. 

Yasmin held the boys back, letting the women get ahead of them before she started talking. "This is a bit weird, don't you think?" She asked, making sure to keep her voice low. "That the TARDIS just happened to take us to meet someone that the Doctor missed?"

"What - you think it's a trap?" Ryan asked, looking worried.

"You don't?" Yaz countered. "Maybe it's another thing like the Solitract."

"Or maybe," Graham suggested, "something nice is happenin' for once, eh?" Both Yaz and Ryan looked doubtful, and Graham knew he had to intervene before they did something they would regret. "Look, the universe has thrown enough bad things the Doc's way. Maybe this is it's way of giving back."

8888

They followed her for at least twenty blocks until they came to a series of houses - all of them gorgeous brownstone buildings.

"This is your house?" Yaz asked, looking at the large brownstone in front of her. The door was painted a startling shade of blue that matched both the scarf around Amy's neck, and the blue box that they had left in Central Park. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks." Amy said, giving Yaz a smile. "Our daughter set it up for us. We arrived here to find a house and several different bank accounts set up for us."

"River did?" The Doctor asked, and Amy glared at her.

"She's a good girl, taking care of her parents." Came the sharp reply. Amy went up to the front door, quickly pulling it open and quickly bracing herself. There was a moment of confusion while the others all waited for something to happen, and then they were attacked.

A tiny blur shot down the hallway, catching Amy right around her legs. She bent down, picking up and subduing what had attacked her in one fluid motion. Her eyes were laughing but she fixed a stern look onto her face as she looked at the child in her arms. "Anthony Brian Williams, you're supposed to still be in bed." She scolded.

"Sorry Mommy." The boy replied, not sounding at all sorry. "But it's Christmas!". 

"But that doesn't mean you don't have to take a nap.". Amy replied, carrying the boy into the house and gesturing the others in behind her.

Tony looked like he was about to argue with her when he caught sight of the new people in the doorway. "Mommy, who's that?"

"Tony, sweetheart, this is the Doctor. Doctor, meet our son, Anthony." Amy introduced them. The boy in her arms couldn't have been more than five, with a mop of dirty blonde hair and green eyes. He wore footie pajamas, and a familiar 

"The special Doctor?" Anthony asked, his American accent a sharp contrast to his mother's Scottish one. 

"It's brilliant to meet you, Tony." The Doctor said, her voice quiet and an awed look on her face. She laughed softly, eyes flicking over to meet her friend's. "He's perfect."

"Sometimes we worry if we're doing things right." Amy admitted, her voice quiet. It was strange, seeing the woman - who the fam had already realized was a lively woman - look so unsure.

"I'm sure you're excellent parents." Graham reassured.

"Of course you are!" The Doctor said without a second of hesitation. "You're Ponds!"

"We had a lot of practice.". Amy teased, her attention on her friend - who was currently pulling faces at her four year old son.

"Oi!" The Doctor snapped, finally having her attention pulled away from Tony. "That's rude."

"Yeah well, it's true." Amelia shot back, both of them sounding like they were replaying an argument had a hundred times before.

8888

"Amy, I'm home!" A voice called out before the door was even fully opened, and Ryan, Graham, and Yaz all turned to see who it was. They had heard enough stories about 'Mr. Pond' to already be suitably impressed, and were dying to meet the man in person. They had already heard about him punching Hitler, dinosaurs on a spaceship, and countless others.

But the man who came inside was not what they were expecting. He was ordinary looking, still in his hospital scrubs. Dirty blonde hair was nearly combed and parted, and a questioning look was on his face as he took in the four strangers sitting in his living room. 

That expression faded after the Doctor jumped to her feet. "Rory the Roman!" The Doctor called out, bounding towards the man who came inside.

"Doctor?" The man replied, not even hesitating in his identification of the woman in front of him. "Amy, it's the Doctor!"

"I see that, stupid face." Amy replied fondly, not looking up from what she was doing. She and Yaz were deep in conversation about something that had them breaking into giggles every few minutes.

"No, but, hang on." Rory said, absently picking up Tony when the boy started tugging on his pants. "The Doctor is here. In New York City. And… is a woman now."

"Oh good, I was wonderin' if you'd noticed." 

"Right." Rory said, staring awkwardly for a moment. Then he shook his head and took off his shoes, settling down on the couch next to Graham. And with that, he started up a conversation with the former bus driver as if coming home to time-lost friends was something that happened all the time. 

To be fair, it probably did. Even when one stopped traveling with the Doctor, life could never be described as boring.

8888

It was a few hours later, but eventually dinner was ready. The Ponds invited them to stay for dinner, but the fam had declined, saying that they needed to start moving.

"Oh, come on." Amy said, practically shoving them into chairs. "Rory always makes enough to feed a Slitheen, we could use the extra mouths."

"Go on, sit down." Rory urged, herding them all towards the dining room. Tony followed after them, practically bouncing with every step. No one could tell if he was that excited about Christmas dinner, or if he was just always like that.

"Were you expecting someone?" The Doctor asked, staring at the table. There were four places set - one for each Pond and then an extra one to boot. "You've got an extra place set." She pointed out.

"It's for you.". Rory said, carefully strapping Anthony into his chair. Amy had disappeared into the kitchen to get the turkey, leaving the rest of them to get settled in.

"What?"

"It's Christmas, you moron." She could hear Amy shout from the kitchen. "We always set a place for you.". She came walking in a second later, the turkey in her hands.

"Although we could have had a heads up that you were bringing guests." Rory deadpanned. Both of them pretended not to notice the tears in the Doctor's eyes, giving her a moment to compose herself.

Amy kept talking as she disappeared back into the kitchen. "Set the table for one more, Rory!" She instructed. 

"Is someone else coming?" The Doctor asked, watching as Rory pulled out another set of plates. She seemed amazed by their house - at the plates and curtains and carpets. It was like she had never seen them before. 

"That would be why we're adding another place to the table, yes." Rory teased, his voice full of that dry humor that she had missed.

The Timelord huffed, but the smile on her face was unmistakable. "There's no need to be rude, Rory."

"Right then." Amy said, seating herself at the table. "Let's get started."

"Hang on, we're still missing someone." Graham pointed out, gesturing to the empty place setting.

"Don't worry, she'll be here.". Rory reassured, not even looking up from carving the turkey in front of him.

"But -"

"She'll be here." Amy said firmly, quieting them all with a look. "Just running a bit late is all."

8888

They made it almost ten minutes in before the doorbell rang. Both Amy and Rory looked relieved - something that had Yaz feeling suspicious. They had been communicating silently all night so far in that way that only people who had known each other for a while could do. 

"Doctor, would you mind getting the door?" Amy asked, not even looking up from feeding Tony. Rory was in a conversation with Ryan and Graham about EastEnders - apparently he had missed the last several seasons when they were shoved back in time, and the boys were eagerly getting him caught up on it. When asked, Graham explained that the show had been a favorite of Grace's, and the three of them would watch it together.

The Doctor nodded, already halfway out of her chair with food still in her mouth.

Yaz got up to follow after her - the Doctor got into too much trouble as it was already. She needed backup to stay safe. But a hand caught her wrist before she could move too far.

"She'll be fine, Yaz." Amy said, not letting go of her. "Just think of it as making up for all the Christmasses we've missed, yeah?"

8888

River stood on the doorstep, the setting sun making her curls glow like they were on fire. She checked her watch, making a mental note to fix her Vortex Manipulator and maybe the whole New Jersey bus system - she had landed on the right day three hours ago, but a traffic jam had caused her to be later than she had wanted to be. When Amy had called her telling her to come for Christmas dinner - that it was extremely important that she come - she had dropped everything and ran. There wasn't much that her mother called her for anymore, other than the occasional lunch. 

A wide smile spread across her face as she took in who was waiting in the doorway for her. No matter how many times the Doctor changed, there was always something that gave them away. Whether it was the ancient eyes - centuries too old for her face - or the frankly appalling christmas cracker crown on her head, it was obvious that the woman in front of her could only be her wife.

"Hello, sweetie." River purred, delighting in the other woman's speechlessness. "Fancy seeing you here."

"River?" the blonde asked, her eyes lighting up. "What're you doing here?"

"What am I doing visiting my parents?" She clarified, laughing softly when the Timelord blushed. "Really, my love, you're better than this."

With that said she reached out, reeling her wife in to press a kiss against her lips - one that quickly turned heated. "Happy Christmas." She whispered, pulling back enough to see the dazed look on her wife's face.

And the Doctor smiled. "Happy Christmas, River." She said, before dragging her inside.


End file.
